Physical, mechanical and abrasive wear behavior of attapulgite reinforced walnut shell/PVC composites

The effects of attapulgite (ATP) addition (0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt %) on the microstructure, chemical composition, thermal stability, physical properties, mechanical properties, water absorption and abrasive wear resistance of walnut shell (WS) filled polyvinyl chloride (PVC) composites were studied. ATP was blended with WS powder, and the WS/ATP/PVC composites were prepared by melt blending extrusion using a single screw extruder. The performance test results of the composites showed that, properties of the composites were improved after the addition of ATP when compared to the composites without ATP, although the chemical structure of the composites did not change significantly. The composites with 3% ATP have the best thermal stability and wear resistance, as well as the lowest water absorption. The tensile strength, bending strength, hardness and density increased by 31%, 16%, 10% and 1% respectively. However, the composite has the highest impact strength after adding 1% ATP, which was 11% higher than without ATP. The results indicate that ATP has the potential to improve the characteristics of biomass composites in a simpler and more environmentally friendly method.